Suicide
by Koga's Kaleidoscope Werewolf
Summary: Basically, a bunch of the Inuyasha characters commit suicide after they've lost their loved ones.  So the chappies are InuXKag, MirXSan, SesshyXKagura, RinXKohaku, ShippoXOC, and KogaXAyame. They're not in that order though or are they all up yet.
1. Chapter 1: Inuyasha and Kagome

Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha characters single tear

'Normal speaking'

'_Thinking' _

Kagome watched in slow motion as she saw Sesshomaru slice through Inuyasha with his Tokijin. Kagome was too late. _I should have stopped being an idiot and come back to you Inuyasha! You were coming for me because I was too damn stubborn to accept your apology, and now you might die! I'm sorry Inuyasha! _Kagome thought.

Kagome saw Inuyasha fall to the bloody grass floor next to the Bone Eaters Well. Kagome had just come back from her time. She had had an argument with Inuyasha and hadn't accepted his apology. She couldn't stay away from Inuyasha too long though, and had decided to come back to the Feudal Era after four days of being in her time.

Sesshomaru smiled at how he slaughtered his little brother and looked at Kagome. "You were too late wench. It is your fault that Inuyasha is dead," Sesshomaru said in his unemotional tone. Kagome shook her head, making all of the tears on her face flail around her.

"No! That's not true! Inuyasha is not dead!" Kagome screamed. She refused to believe that Inuyasha was dead. _Face it Kagome. Inuyasha is no longer alive. Just go look at his face one more time and walk away,_ Kagome's conscious told her. Sesshomaru walked away, still with a smile on his face.

Kagome walked over to Inuyasha's motionless body. "Please, Inuyasha," Kagome pleaded. "I know you didn't want to die this way! Please wake up. Please at least say something to me." As Kagome's tears fell on Inuyasha's face, he worked up just enough energy to say his true feelings to her.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha strained. "Kagome, I have to tell you right now. I love you. I thought that I couldn't forget Kikyo, but it wasn't Kikyo I was thinking about all the time. It was you. I just didn't want to believe my true feelings. Soon, I couldn't deny them though. Kagome, the truth is that I love you. I always have since the first day that you shed tears for me. Whenever I was fighting Sesshomaru, you were crying because you were afraid that I had given up. Well, know this Kagome. As long as you are in my life, I will never give up."

"Oh, Inuyasha, I love you too. Why didn't you tell me that you have felt this way before?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha laughed as much as he could without hurting himself too much. "I was planning to tell you as soon as you came back. Since it seemed that I was going to have to get you myself after you wouldn't accept my apology, I was going to bring you back here and tell you then."

Kagome's heart soared. Inuyasha loved her. Kagome had fallen in love with him a long time ago, and she had told him she loved him. She just thought that Inuyasha wouldn't ever feel the same way. Kagome thought that Inuyasha just couldn't ever devote his love to anyone other than Kikyo.

Kagome threw her arms around Inuyasha's neck. Inuyasha put his arms around Kagome. _How I have longed to feel this, _Inuyasha thought. Kagome looked into Inuyasha's deep golden eyes. The words 'I will never love anyone as much as I love you as long as I live' passed between the two of them. Kagome leaned down and kissed Inuyasha as hard as she could. Inuyasha kissed back.

Whenever Inuyasha started wincing from the pain of losing too much blood, Kagome stopped leaning on him. He wiped Kagome's tears away and said, "Don't worry about me, Kagome. I'm going to live for a few more minutes. I'm just glad that I can live them with you by my side."

For the last few moments of Inuyasha's life, Kagome sat with Inuyasha's head in her lap. "The last time we sat like this, was whenever those spider heads attacked us. I had said that you smelled nice," Inuyasha reminisced. Kagome smiled. She remembered that day and how she felt whenever Inuyasha had said that certain sentence. "Do I still smell nice?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha gave a short laugh.

"You smell nicer than you ever have." Kagome blushed. As she looked at her outfit, she realized that she was covered in Inuyasha's blood. She believed that Inuyasha was just dodging around the smell of his own blood while he smelled her.

As Inuyasha's breathing got shorter and lighter, Kagome feared of losing her Inuyasha. She already knew that Inuyasha was going to die, but she had just learned that Inuyasha returned her feelings of love for him. A few minutes had seemed like a few seconds. Kagome squeezed Inuyasha's hand harder as his eyes started to close.

"Kagome, please kiss me one more time. I want to die with the feeling of your lips on mine," Inuyasha requested. Kagome leaned down and kissed Inuyasha, just like he said.

"Thank you," Inuyasha whispered. With his last breath he said softly, "I love you Kagome." Inuyasha's head lolled to the left. His hand went limp in Kagome's grasp. Kagome's heart stopped soaring and started breaking. "Inuyasha? Inuyasha? Inuyasha?!" she desperately asked. A fresh flood of tears spilled out of her eyes.

"No!!! No, please God, no!!!" Kagome screamed. She fell on top of Inuyasha's body and begged to God to bring him back. After she realized that Inuyasha really was not coming back, she shouted in agony.

She yelled at the top of her lungs, one more time, "No!"

Kagome shot out of her bed. She was sweating hard and breathing fast. She glanced at her alarm clock, which read noon, and sluggishly got out of her bed. She gazed in her bathroom looking glass (A/N: don't you think that sounds much classier than 'mirror'?) and cursed the dark circles under her eyes. She hardly got sleep anymore. Whenever she did get any sleep, she had the same nightmare every night.

It had been four years since Inuyasha was killed. After burying her love one's body, she defeated Naraku with the help of Sango, Miroku, and Shippo and fixed the Sacred Jewel. She had dug out some of the dirt on Inuyasha's grave and placed the Sacred Jewel in the hole. "Now you can make a wish, Inuyasha," Kagome had whispered. She thought of Inuyasha's dream to become a full fledged demon. She decided that since Inuyasha had confessed his love to her that he would wish for something else, perhaps for Kagome to become half demon like him or maybe for a life time supply of ramen.

Kagome brushed her hair and put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. There was no reason to dress in her uniform because she had graduated from high school the year before. She dragged her feet on the ground as she walked down the stairs. She sat down at the dinner table and picked at her food. Kagome's mom urged her daughter to eat. "I'm not hungry," Kagome protested. Mrs. Higurashi sighed. Kagome never ate more than she needed to maintain survival. Plus, the only thing than ran through Kagome's mind was the day that Inuyasha had died. Seeing her loved one's bloody body dead in her mind made her sick to her stomach. She couldn't eat thinking about that.

"Of course, if you are not feeling well, I won't make you eat," Mrs. Higurashi responded. Kagome silently thanked her mother. _I'm glad I have one of those understanding moms. I'm going to have to tell her that I really am happy that she's my mom later._

Kagome stood up from chair and walked out the front door. "I'm going to visit Inuyasha's grave," she called from the door. Mrs. Higurashi said to herself after her daughter left, "Of course you are. That's what you do every day. You come downstairs after sleeping for what seems like ten hours but is probably only four, sit down for breakfast but only take a couple of bites, and then you walk off to talk to Inuyasha's grave marker all day. I hope you won't be like this forever, Kagome."

Kagome jumped into the well and appeared on the other side. She listened to the birds sing. As she climbed out of the well, she noticed that all of the animals were with mates. It seemed like all of the mated animals were crowding around Kagome, as if they were showing off that their loved ones were alive and Kagome's wasn't.

Kagome's eyes welled up with tears. "I don't know how much more I can take of this," Kagome said to herself. Kagome sulked as she walked. It didn't take her long to reach Inuyasha's grave. She, Miroku, and Sango had buried Inuyasha under the Sacred Tree. Kagome looked up at the spot that marked where Kikyo had killed Inuyasha. After staring at the spot for a few minutes, Kagome sat down a foot or two away from Inuyasha's gravestone.

"Hello Inuyasha. What's up?" Kagome asked. Then Kagome waited. For the past four years, if Kagome concentrated hard enough on her love for Inuyasha, she could connect with him from the netherworld.

"Hello Kagome. All I have been doing is wishing that you were with me. I finally got to meet my dad and I got to see my mom again," Inuyasha's voice said in Kagome's mind. Kagome smiled with relief. The sad thing was that Kagome thought that she could hear Inuyasha's voice. The truth was that Kagome was just imagining Inuyasha talking to her. Kagome had been pining for Inuyasha with such a fierce intensity that she was going crazy out of her right mind. Whenever she told people that she talked to her dead boyfriend for hours at a time, everyone felt terribly sorry for her.

"That's great Inuyasha. I wish you were still with me. I miss you so much. If you came back, I don't think you would recognize me," Kagome admitted.

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked in Kagome's head.

"I have dark circles under my eyes from not getting much sleep. Ever since the day that you died, my mind replays your death over and over in my head at night. I'm pretty skinny. I just don't like to eat that much." 

"Kagome, you know I wish that you wouldn't be depressed over me. I want you to live your life while you still can. You defeated that bastard Naraku and you graduated from a good high school. You planned Miroku and Sango's wedding and helped Shippo defend for himself," Inuyasha reminded Kagome.

"You're right. I can't help the whole depression part though. I want to be with you so badly. Inuyasha, I have decided that I'm going to commit suicide," Kagome announced to Inuyasha's gravestone. She saw Inuyasha getting angry in her mind.

"No Kagome! I won't let you do that! You can't just throw your life away just because you miss me!" Inuyasha shouted. Kagome shook her head to rid his voice of her imagination. "Inuyasha, I can't stand it anymore! I want to be with you and I'll do whatever it takes to see you again!"

Silence.

"Inuyasha? Are you still there?" Kagome asked. Whenever Inuyasha's voice didn't reply, she stood up and looked around. _How can I kill myself without it hurting too much?_ she wondered. She saw a cliff nearby. She walked to the end of it. The drop was at least two hundred feet and the bottom was plain grass. _Enough to kill, but not to hurt._

Kagome backed up fifteen feet. "I'm coming Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted as she ran. She sprinted to the end of the cliff and flung herself off of it. She spread her arms wide and felt like she was flying. Kagome hit the grassy bottom and successfully killed herself.

Her spirit walked back to the Sacred Tree. Kagome hoped that Inuyasha would be there waiting to take her to the netherworld. Once she appeared at Inuyasha's grave, she looked up. Inuyasha's spirit stood in front of her with a smile plastered on his face. Kagome was overjoyed. Her soul ran to her long awaited loved one's soul.

"I have missed you so very much, Inuyasha," Kagome whispered. "I did too, Kagome," Inuyasha whispered back. "I have a few people back in the netherworld I want you to meet. They have been waiting a long time to meet my mate."

Kagome grinned wide at the word 'mate'. She stood on her tip toes and kissed Inuyasha. Both pairs of their lips had wanted to be reunited with the others.

After Inuyasha and Kagome broke apart, they walked away into the now setting sun. The two were finally together once again.


	2. Chapter 2: Koga and Ayame

Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha characters. Sigh. Sad day… Oh, and I know I said that this would be an oneshot, but I changed my mind. This chappie starts out as if it's the Sango and Miroku story, but it really isn't once you get towards the middle.

After Kagome's suicide, everything changed. Whenever Kagome had been visiting Inuyasha's grave, before her suicide, Miroku and Sango secretly watched her. They were concerned for their friend.

The day that Kagome flung her body off of that cliff, Sango had gone into labor and she and Miroku had not seen their good friend commit her tragic suicide. The day after Kagome's suicide and Sango's labor, Miroku had gone to the familiar tree where he, his wife, and Kagome had buried his best friend. He waited for Kagome for two hours before he looked around the Sacred Tree for her.

Whenever he didn't see a single trace of Kagome, he went back to his home and told Sango that Kagome had not appeared. Sango was deeply confused. "That's not possible. Ever since Inuyasha's murder, Kagome's been visiting his grave and talking to his headstone all day," Sango said as she held her and Miroku's son, Daichi.

"I know, Sango, but I'm telling you, she wasn't there today," Miroku protested. "Sango, I'm afraid that something tragic might have happened yesterday. Like you said, Kagome wouldn't miss a single day 'talking' to Inuyasha. I think we should go check around the area of the Sacred Tree." Sango nodded.

Sango kindly asked her neighbors to look after Daichi while she and Miroku were gone. Their neighbors agreed as long as they weren't gone for too long. They promised to be back in an hour or two. Miroku and Sango headed for their friend's grave.

Miroku noticed Sango's trembling hand as they walked. He laced his fingers with hers so that her hand would stop shaking so violently. "It'll be okay, Sango. I'm almost positive that something even more tragic than Inuyasha's death must've happened in her time, and that's why she isn't here." Little did Miroku know what awaited Sango and himself.

Once the two loved ones reached the Sacred Tree, they looked everywhere around the area. They looked around the tree, in the tree, in the village nearby, and even in the bushes by the tree. They didn't find Kagome.

Sango was only walking around wasting time whenever she came upon the cliff Kagome had jumped off of. She looked up at the sun, and then down below her. What was on the ground made her scream in shock. After she screamed, she fainted. Miroku heard his wife's wails and ran to Sango. He gently awoke her.

"Sango? Sango, why did you scream?" Miroku asked. Sango was speechless. She grabbed Miroku's hand and led him to the cliff edge. She pointed down and started crying. Miroku looked down and almost threw up at what he saw. Kagome's mangled body was spread out on the floor below.

Miroku took Sango in his arms and turned her away from the horrible sight. After Sango had regained a little bit of composure, they walked down to Kagome's body. Miroku inspected Kagome's body while Sango cried for a little while longer.

"Sango?" Miroku asked. Sango looked at him through blurry eyes. "This wasn't an accident, honey. Kagome committed suicide." This distressing news made Sango weep even harder. Miroku took her in his arms once again. Sango asked between sobs how Miroku knew that Kagome had killed herself.

Miroku sighed. "Can I show you something?" he asked. Sango nodded. Miroku brought her over to Kagome wear Sango could see Kagome's face. "Kagome is smiling. If she had not have killed herself, she would not have been smiling as she died." Sango went over this sentence in her head and decided that it was true.

With the help from a few passing men, Sango and Miroku were able to carry Kagome's body to the Sacred Tree. They dug a grave next to Inuyasha's and buried their friend. Sango mourned all the way back to her and Miroku's hut. Sango retrieved Daichi from her neighbors. Whenever they asked why she was crying, she explained the situation. They sent their deepest regrets with Sango as she left their home.

Sango entered her own home and placed Daichi down for a nap. As Miroku sat down on the floor, he had no idea what to do next. Sango sat down next to her husband. "What do we do now?" she asked. Miroku shrugged.

"I guess we should tell someone," he pondered. Sango then asked who they should tell first. Miroku shrugged again. Miroku was very reserved at the moment. He was still waiting for the shock about Kagome's death to set in.

After a long time, Miroku finally said, "Koga would probably be a good place to start." Sango nodded. She was still crying but not as hard now. She stood from the floor. She grabbed her Hiraikotsu and called for Kirara.

"What are you doing, Sango?" Miroku asked as Sango went through the front door.

"I'm going to find Koga. I'll be back in a day or two. I trust that you can take care of Daichi. If you need help, ask the neighbors," Sango said softly but loudly enough for Miroku to hear. Miroku stood up and tried to stop his wife.

"Sango," he started. Sango stopped walking. She was afraid that Miroku wasn't going to let her leave. Sango had to do this. If Miroku tried to talk to Koga about Kagome, Miroku might sound harsh. Miroku could be soft at some times, but he couldn't some times, too. Sango just knew _she _had to do this and not her husband. "Just be careful, my love." Sango gave a small smile and nodded.

"Kirara, please find Koga," Sango ordered her demon cat. Kirara nodded and took to the sky with Sango on her back. Miroku watched his wife in the blue sky. He watched her until Daichi started crying. As he comforted his son, he wished to himself that Koga would believe Sango.

It did not take too long before Sango and Kirara reached Koga's wolf demon pack. The first demon who saw Sango, was Ginta. Ginta called to Hakkaku whenever he spotted Sango. "Hey Hakkaku, isn't that Kagome's friend?" he asked. Hakkaku looked up to see what Ginta was pointing at. Hakkaku nodded.

Sango landed in front of Ginta and Hakkaku. "Excuse me, but do either of you know where Koga the Wolf Prince is?" They started to point towards the den, but Koga showed up in front of Sango before Ginta and Hakkaku had a chance to raise their arms.

"Yo, girl, what's up? Didn't you call for me?" Koga asked in an annoyed tone. He sniffed the air and smiled wide. "My woman's here. Where is she girl?" Koga invaded Sango's privacy and got all up in her face. Sango gently pushed Koga back.

"Koga, I'm going to need you to sit down," Sango patiently said. Koga laughed.

"Why? Is this a joke? Are you going to bring Kagome out as soon as I 'cover my eyes' and count to ten?" he asked in a mocking voice. Sango sat Koga down and looked at him hard.

"Koga, Kagome was in an accident," she started. Koga was being more hard headed than usual though. Koga jumped up quickly. "What kind of accident? Will she be okay?"

Sango sat him back down. "Koga, you have to be quiet and listen to me. Kagome was in an accident. Well, not an accident really." Sango's eyes started to well up again. She took a deep breath before finishing her story. "Koga, Kagome was dearly upset after Inuyasha died, as you know. She was missing him so much she… she…"

"She finally got over him, right? Well, it's about damn time!" Koga exclaimed.

"Koga! Listen to me dammit!" Sango screamed. Sango was a little astonished at her own language at first but continued with, "Kagome killed herself okay! Kagome flung herself off of a cliff and died!"

Koga backed up. "No, that's not possible. Kagome can't be dead." Koga started trembling a little bit. "Kagome's not dead! I refuse to believe that!"

Sango yelled at Koga, "Do you want to see her mangled body?!" Sango's tears ran down her face again. "Do you want to see the look on her face?! Do you want to see the morbid smile on Kagome's cold, dead face?! Be my guest and dig up her body! That's the last time I try to tell you something about someone you care about!"

Sango swiped at her tears and jumped back on Kirara. "I hope you go to hell, Koga!" was the last thing she said to Koga before she left. Koga fell to the ground in disbelief. Ginta and Hakkaku spoke at once to try and convince Koga that he was right and Sango was wrong.

Koga didn't hear anything Ginta and Hakkaku were stuttering. All Koga could focus on were Sango's words. _Why would Kagome's friend come to see me if this suicide information wasn't true? Can I bring myself to try and smell for Kagome? Could she really be dead?_ Koga asked himself.

"I'm going out on a run," Koga finally said. "I want you guys to stay here. I need some time to think." Ginta and Hakkaku were surprised that Koga didn't want them to follow him. This was the first time Koga had requested this, but they respected Koga's wishes.

Koga ran off in the direction of Sango's scent. He knew that he could find out about Kagome if he followed Sango. Ten minutes later, Koga had reached the Sacred Tree. He could strongly smell Kagome's scent near the tree. He stopped in front of two grave markers. On one grave marker, Inuyasha's name and scent was all over it. On the other, Kagome's name and scent was all over it. Koga re-smelled Kagome's head stone.

_It's true. This is Kagome's grave. She really did kill herself, _Koga thought. For the first time since Koga's childhood, tears slipped down Koga's cheeks. "It's not fair. Kagome was the only girl I ever loved." Koga's body heaved with sadness.

Koga stood and sighed deeply. He looked up at the skies and made his decision. He ran fast and hard off of the same cliff that Kagome had jumped off of. He landed on the ground, hoping to kill himself. Koga got very angry whenever his demon reflexes forced him to land on his feet. "Damn it all to hell! I lost Kagome, and I, too, want to die now! It's not fair!"

Out of nowhere, Ayame jumped in front of Koga. "Koga, don't do it! You cannot kill yourself," Ayame cried. "I know that you loved Kagome even though you promised me a long time ago that you would mate me, but I love you! Why can't you feel the same?!"

"Where did you come from, Ayame?" Koga asked.

"I was visiting from the mountains. I was hoping to say hello to you," Ayame explained. "That's not the point though. The point is that I care about you." Ayame's eyes welled up with tears. "You shouldn't have promised me that you would marry me if you knew you really weren't going to keep your promise."

"Ayame, it's not that I don't want to mate you. It's just that… Kagome was my mate already," Koga protested. Ayame scoffed.

"That's not how I heard it," Ayame said mostly to herself. "Koga, I'm tired of fighting like this. Please, either mate me or tell me to leave you alone." Koga had had enough of this nonsense also.

"Leave me alone, Ayame!" Koga yelled at her. "I'm tired of this, too, you know. I loved Kagome and not you. Get over it! Sheesh, you're acting like a wolf pup." At that moment, Ayame took Koga's hardly-ever-used sword out of its sheath. She stabbed Koga in the heart with tears flooding her cheeks.

"A-Ayame?" Koga gasped. He started to get upset but then started to smile. "Thank you, Ayame. Now I can… I can see Kagome." Ayame's face fell. She pushed the sword further into Koga's chest.

"How dare you, Koga! How dare you bring up Kagome while I'm _killing_ you! It's not fair, Koga! It's not fair!" Ayame screamed. Ayame removed the sword, and Koga died on the spot. Ayame fell down on the ground next to Koga's lifeless body. Like Kagome, Koga was smiling about his death.

Ayame stood again and held up Koga's sword high above Koga. Ayame shouted, "I'm following you, Koga! Whenever I find you, you better not be making out with Kagome!" Ayame then plunged the sword into her own heart. She staggered backwards and noticed her white pelts were covered in her blood.

A lifeless Ayame fell on top of Koga's body. A few minutes later, Koga's spirit left his body. He looked around at the world around him. _It doesn't look any different even though I'm dead now, _Koga thought.

"Koga?" a girl's voice asked.

Koga turned around to see Kagome's spirit with Inuyasha's in front of the Sacred Tree. Koga's heart soared. At least, what was left of it did. "Kagome…" Koga whispered.

"Koga?" Ayame's voice asked.

Koga cringed as he turned around to see Ayame's spirit.

"Ayame, what are you doing here?" Koga asked. Ayame walked as she talked.

"I killed myself after I killed you because I knew that I couldn't live without you. Please accept my love for you now that we're in the afterlife," Ayame said quietly. Koga was about to laugh whenever Kagome put her hand on his shoulder.

"Koga, I think you're cool, but I love Inuyasha. Ayame has loved you since that day you saved her from that hoard of demons," Kagome said in her soothing voice. "Please love her. She can give you the love you have been wanting."

Koga was about to argue, but he couldn't get mad at Kagome. Kagome was right. Koga wanted someone who would love him, and that was all Ayame had been giving since she was little. Koga looked at Ayame with a different outlook.

"I'm sorry, Ayame." Koga took Ayame's hand. She gave a small smile. "Kagome has made me realize that you really do love me. I could learn to love you, just give me a little bit of time."

Ayame nodded. "Okay, Koga. How about we start with holding hands?" Ayame smiled. Koga blushed lightly at first but soon grasped Ayame's hand tightly. Inuyasha cleared his throat behind the new couple.

"Koga, Ayame, we need to get back to the netherworld," Inuyasha pointed out. Koga and Ayame looked at him. They agreed. Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's hand and walked towards the sunset, like before. Koga stopped Inuyasha before they reached the netherworld.

"Hey, Inuyasha?" Koga asked. Inuyasha looked at him. "Thanks for not calling me flea bag or any of those other names." Inuyasha smiled just a little bit.

"Sure, but just this once do you get that privilege," he responded. Koga nodded in agreement. Inuyasha and Kagome walked away into the netherworld.

Koga and Ayame took one last look at the area and followed their friends. The best part was that, now, Ayame's love was finally returned.


	3. Chapter 3: Shippo and Akina OC

Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha characters. I do, however, own Akina and Aiko. For all of those who might be reading this, I think the story is way better than the summary. I suck at summaries, so if you're reading this fic or my other ones, I think you guys would agree that the story is much better than the summary. Okay, well, I haven't gotten any feedback on my second chapter yet, but I'm going to go ahead and do this chappie. I must thank Winchester13 though. Her advice got me thinking about more suicides the Inuyasha group could commit. This story is actually quite tragic now that I think about it, but it's pretty accurate don't you think? Okay, I'm getting on with this chappie now. Drop by some reviews so I can see what y'all are thinking. Oh, and I know that Kagome probably isn't a strong believer in God, (because they believe in Buddha) but I thought it would be a nice touch in the story.

"Honey? Are you coming to bed?" Akina, a young vixen fox demon with shoulder length black hair pulled up in two pigtails and forest green eyes and a black fox tail, asked her husband, Shippo. Shippo looked up at his mate with his blue-green eyes. She had been inside their home with their two week old female kit, Aiko, all day. Shippo had gone outside that morning, claiming that he was going hunting. Shippo had actually been sitting up in Inuyasha's favorite tree.

"Yeah, in a moment," Shippo replied. Akina nodded and returned to the fox demon's household. Shippo sighed with sadness. He loved his mate, but he had been deeply depressed since he had learned of Kagome's suicide. Sango and Miroku had told him the week after it happened. Shippo was in denial at first, but he knew that Kagome had been missing Inuyasha, so Shippo decided that the news was true. Shippo had been sad when Inuyasha died, but after Kagome did too, Shippo could hardly bear the pain that he endured every day.

Shippo gazed at the night time sky with sorrowful eyes. "I wish you were still alive, Kagome," he whispered to the heavens. "I don't care about the point that I'm a full grown fox demon who probably doesn't need his mother. I miss you so much… Mom." A couple of tears fell down Shippo's face. After he learned of Kagome's suicide, he felt like he was an orphan all over again. Shippo hated not having the raven haired girl or the bad tempered half demon in his life. He hadn't brought himself to call Inuyasha 'Dad' yet, but he couldn't help calling Kagome 'Mom'.

_I wish I wasn't so sad. Mom died five years ago and Inuyasha nine. My heart still yearns for them though, _Shippo thought. _**If you weren't so sad, then you wouldn't really think of Inuyasha and Kagome as your parents. It's only natural that you can hardly live without them,**_ Shippo's inner demon said.

Shippo stood up from his place on the ground and entered his home. His once bushy tail now dragged on the ground as he walked to his bed. Shippo lay down on the sleeping bag that Kagome had given him so long ago. The sleeping bag had once belonged to Kagome, but when she told Shippo that he would need to start caring for himself, he asked for her sleeping bag if nothing else could be given to him. Kagome gladly agreed and gave Shippo the bag. Shippo breathed in deep. _I can still smell her scent,_ he thought. _It's such a wonderful essence._

Shippo was so into the smell of his adoptive mother, he didn't realize that Akina had walked into the room. "Shippo, you didn't say goodnight to your daughter," Akina said. Shippo sat up and stared at his mate. He shook his head to clear his brain of his mother and half-heartedly smiled at Akina. Shippo stood so he could wish his little girl goodnight.

Shippo walked around Akina as he passed through the doorway to their room. He sauntered into the front room where Aiko slept. He found her on the ground whimpering. Shippo carefully picked up Aiko and rocked her in his fathering arms. She smiled up at him. Shippo kissed the young kitsune's forehead. He placed her in a small bed that he had made for her three days after she was born. Shippo gently placed a blanket over his daughter. Aiko went to sleep shortly after she had been put down.

Shippo watched his beloved baby girl start to suck on her peach colored tail. She had Shippo's tail and attitude but Akina's hair and eye color. Aiko reminded Shippo a little bit of Kagome. The thought of Kagome brought tears to Shippo's eyes. Shippo turned around to go back to his room.

Shippo entered the room and closed the screen door. He tried to walk to Kagome's sleeping bag, but his tail had gotten caught in the door. Shippo yanked his tail out and accidentally tripped backwards. Shippo landed on top of Akina who was startled out of her slumber. She yelled, "Fox Fire!" before she could see who had fallen on her. Shippo's shirt caught fire, but he quickly put it out.

"Damn it, Akina! What do you think you're doing?" Shippo shouted in frustration. Akina realized it was her mate who had toppled on her body and laughed shortly. Shippo rolled off of Akina and hugged his knees on Kagome's sleeping bag. Shippo crawled underneath the top sheet. He wanted to sleep, but Akina wouldn't let him. Akina put an arm around her husband.

"Hey, Shippo," she breathed. "We haven't had some time alone in a long time." Akina tried to take the top of the sleeping bag off of her mate. Shippo pulled it up higher and made an attempt to curl up in a ball like he had when he was little. Akina was still persistent. "Come on, Shippo. You hunt all day, and I never get to see you anymore. Whenever I do see you, you're sulking."

"Akina, I just don't want to do anything tonight," Shippo whispered to the wall. He refused to turn around and look at Akina. Akina, being a fox demon, somehow slunk into Shippo's sleeping bag. She wrapped her arms around Shippo's torso.

"I love you, Shippo," she whispered to his back. She gently kissed Shippo's bare neck. Shippo groaned. He struggled to turn around and face Akina, but he managed to. He frowned at Akina's smiling face. _How can she smile knowing that Kagome isn't alive?_ Shippo thought.

"Akina, I told you I don't want to do anything tonight," Shippo repeated. Akina sighed. She knew that her mate was struggling with a depression. She just wanted to be loved on though. Aiko wasn't being neglected by Shippo, but at this rate, Akina believed that Aiko might suffer from neglect in the near future. How would Shippo treat his daughter once he knew that she could walk and talk and defend for herself? Shippo paid attention to her right now only because Aiko was only a kit. Akina feared that Shippo would stop talking to Aiko once she was old enough to acknowledge him.

"Shippo, you need to get over your depression," Akina told him. Shippo scoffed with disgust. He couldn't believe Akina had told him to get over Kagome's death. _Kagome was my mother! I can't just forget about her!_

Shippo unzipped the sleeping bag and headed for the doorway. Akina sat up. "Where are you going Shippo?" she asked. Shippo glanced over his shoulder at Akina. Only then did he notice that Akina wasn't wearing a shirt. _She was wearing a top a moment ago, wasn't she? I'm positive she was. Why did she take it off? __**Because she thought that you would be "in the mood".**__ Oh. Well, I'm not! I haven't been since the day that I found out Akina was pregnant with Aiko. Normally, I would be "in the mood", but I'm still really torn up about Kagome. I have been since the day I heard the news about Kagome's suicide. __**If you haven't been all over Akina during mating season, how did you get her pregnant? **__I was pretty drunk under sake _(A/N: you know, the Japanese version of beer?)_ the night I impregnated her. __**That's sad, Shippo. That's really sad. **__I was trying to shrink the thought of Kagome! __**That isn't an excuse to the point that you won't make love to Akina unless you are severely drunk. She's your mate for God's sake! Don't you care about her?**_

Shippo ignored his inner demon and cursed his body for making his cheeks flare red at Akina's nakedness. "Akina? Shouldn't you c-cover yourself u-up?" Shippo asked. Akina bristled (A/N: yes, she can bristle. She is a fox after all) with anger.

"This isn't about your depression anymore, is it? Am I repulsive, Shippo? Is that why you haven't kissed me since I don't know when?" she asked him. Tears ran down Akina's face. She was enraged that Shippo wasn't giving her any consideration. Akina stood up from the ground and stomped over to Shippo.

Shippo tried to turn away from her, but Akina grabbed his shoulder and made him face her. Akina was only a couple of inches shorter than her mate, so Shippo could see Akina's front side loud and clear. Shippo hadn't noticed how beautiful Akina was in a long time. He had the sudden urge to kiss her.

"Shippo, if you aren't going to love me, I'm leaving you! I've waited and waited, but I can't be patient forever!" Akina yelled at him. Shippo got a little annoyed at her and replied to her statement with, "Keh."

Shippo's eyes widened. He sounded just like Inuyasha. Looking back at his mate, he realized that Akina didn't look like Akina. She looked more like Kagome. The thought of someone looking so much like Kagome and having an attitude like Kagome's, caused Shippo to start bawling. Akina felt a sudden sadness for Shippo.

Akina put an arm around Shippo's shaking shoulders. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I've just been a little moody since Aiko was born. It just… I've missed you." Shippo turned his head to look at his mate. He began to detect that Akina had kept her love for him strong, but he kept pushing her away. Shippo's tears stopped. He caressed Akina's face and brought it towards his own. He kissed her deeply. Akina broke away only for a second.

"I've anticipated this for a long time," she moaned against Shippo's lips. She kissed Shippo and pushed him to the floor. Shippo's hands moved up and down her back. Before either of them knew what was happening, Shippo and Akina were both naked. All that mattered to them now was that they would finally have some time together, as one.

Once dawn came, Shippo awoke with Akina's sleeping body next to him. He carefully removed Akina's right arm, which had been around his waist, so he wouldn't wake her up. Shippo put on his normal outfit and pulled his hair back up with a teal ribbon. Shippo checked on Aiko, who was fast asleep.

Shippo wrote a quick note for Akina that said, "I'll be gone only for a few hours. I'll be back soon. Love you, Shippo." Shippo left his home with a refreshing sense that he had not felt in an extended while. Shippo looked up at the blue sky and said to the puffy white clouds, "Good morning, Mom and Dad." Shippo smiled at his accomplishment of calling Inuyasha his father.

Shippo took off in a run toward Inuyasha and Kagome's graves. He stopped jogging once he reached his mother's grave marker. He was still brought down with sadness at the sign of Kagome's absence, but for the first time since he had learned of her suicide, he didn't cry.

"Hey, Mom," Shippo greeted the headstone. "Listen, it's not like I'm not missing you because I am. You see, though, Aiko and Akina have been suffering from my depression. I'll still visit you almost every day, but I have to let go. My family needs me now."

A breeze caught Shippo's face, and he swore that he heard Kagome's voice say, "Of course. Your family needs you more than I do." Shippo gave a small smile at this, but he grinned widely when he heard Inuyasha's voice say, "You've made me and Kagome very proud, Shippo. I'm happy I can call you 'son'."

Shippo nodded at the voices and ran back home.

Shippo was feeling really good until he entered his home. As Shippo entered his household, he yelled "I'm home everyone!" Shippo was suspicious whenever nobody answered. Shippo continued with, "Akina? Where are you, my love?" Then Shippo caught the smell of bandits. He was scared now.

Shippo walked to his room searching for Akina. Shippo entered the room and gasped. Akina's bloody body was sprawled on the ground. The main things Shippo noticed were that Akina's kimono was ripped and pushed up to her hips, her tail looked broken, and her hair was messed up from its two pigtails. _These are signs of rape. Those damn bandits I smelled must have broken into the house and raped Akina! __**How does the broken tail explain a rape? **__If Akina tried to fight the bandits, and they still pushed her to the floor, Akina's tail would have been in the way. They would've broken it to keep it flattened on the ground._

Shippo collapsed on the floor next to Akina. He rolled her over and noticed her eyes closed. "Akina? Akina, honey, please wake up," Shippo pleaded as he feared the worst. Shippo felt Akina's face. What he felt was coldness. Shippo checked for a pulse. There wasn't one.

After Shippo finally realized that his beloved mate wasn't alive anymore, he looked everywhere for Aiko. Shippo didn't find Aiko in her crib or anywhere else in the house. Shippo ran back to his room to see if he had missed Aiko by mistake. Sure enough, Aiko was in her fox form against the south wall. She was bloody, like Akina, and to defend herself, she had gone into her true form. Unfortunately, Aiko's true form was smaller than her human one.

Shippo bent down on his knees in front of his daughter. He picked her up benevolently. Aiko's delicate form was limp in Shippo's fathering arms. Shippo noticed that Aiko didn't have a pulse and was cold, exactly like Akina. Shippo's eyes let loose a flood of tears.

Shippo crawled on his knees over to Akina's body. He sat her top half up and held her along with Aiko. Shippo stayed in that position for a long time. Shippo's tears finally ceased, but he was overcome with a sadness he had never felt before. It was a sorrow even stronger than the one he had whenever Kagome had died. Shippo looked at the face of his mate. Her face was peaceful when it should've held pain.

Shippo didn't understand why Akina had a peaceful look on her dead face, but he didn't try to think about it too hard. Shippo put Akina's body back on the ground. He laid her out straight with her arms against her sides. He then set Aiko on top of Akina's stomach.

Shippo left the two most important beings in the room. Shippo walked outside to look for a shovel. When he didn't find one, he transformed into his true form and dug two graves, one large and the other small.

Shippo transformed back into his human state. He dusted his hands off on his fur vest. Shippo re-entered the house and exited with Akina in his arms bridal style. Aiko was still upon Akina's chest so Shippo made sure to walk smoothly so that Aiko wouldn't fall. Shippo placed Akina on a grass stretcher he had made for her three weeks ago, whenever he knew that the kit was coming soon. The stretcher was for Akina to have a clean place to lie on whenever she gave birth to Aiko, but it would serve to put Akina in her resting place also.

Shippo picked Aiko up off of Akina's chest. He situated Aiko next to him. Now that Shippo's eyes had replenished on tears, fresh streaks deposited down Shippo's face. Shippo tied a vine on the left and right sides of the stretcher. After he had done this, he carefully lowered Akina's body into her grave. Once she was positioned right, Shippo let go of the right vine so he could retrieve the stretcher for Aiko's body.

_Though Aiko is small, she still deserves to be buried properly, _Shippo said in his mind. Shippo cut the stretcher down with his claws in order to fit through Aiko's grave. Once the stretcher was cut, he lowered Aiko into her grave in the same fashion as he lowered Akina.

Shippo transformed back into his fox version after he was certain that Aiko and Akina were in their graves to his liking. He covered their bodies with the previously discarded dirt. Even as a fox, Shippo didn't stop crying.

Shippo sat back on his hind legs as soon as Akina's and Aiko's bodies were covered. Shippo looked at the graves. Shippo was tired of having to go through the pain of losing the ones that he loved. Shippo looked up at the sky. _Why did you do it, God? _Shippo hadn't believed very hard in God before, but was willing to believe in Him now. Kagome had talked to Shippo about God before. Only now did Shippo decide to try to talk to God. _Kagome used to do it. I remember whenever Kagome used to pray for me, _Shippo thought.

_Okay, here we go. God, you took Inuyasha away from me, the man that was like my father after my real father died. Then you took Kagome away from me, my own mother. After you had to take my parents, you took my wife and daughter. Why are you doing this to me God? I know that I'll go to the netherworld once I die, too, but are you just waiting for me to kill myself?_

Shippo's fox eyes widened at this realization. "Maybe God doesn't want me to kill myself, but I just barely lived without Inuyasha and Kagome. I really _can't_ live without Akina and Aiko," Shippo said out loud to the nearing thunderclouds.

Shippo stood up from his back legs and took off in a fast run towards the nearest river. Once Shippo reached the water, he went back to his human state. He silently told Inuyasha, Kagome, Akina, and Aiko that he was coming to see them soon.

Shippo plunged into the cold river water. He swam all the way to the bottom. Once he got there, he didn't leave his spot. He waited for a certain darkness to consume him. Shippo waited and waited. Finally, consciousness began to slip away from Shippo's grasp.

As Shippo felt his last seconds alive, he smiled.

Shippo's soul retreated from the water. He grinned at the thought of seeing his family again. Shippo looked everywhere above the trees to find the Sacred Tree. Shippo knew that Kagome and Inuyasha's souls would be there awaiting him. If Kagome and Inuyasha's souls were there, Aiko and Akina's souls would surely follow.

Shippo finally found the tree. His soul landed on the treetops so he could rush to the site. Shippo jumped from the treetops a hundred yards short of the Sacred Tree and cried invisible tears. Standing in front of the tree were Kagome and Inuyasha's souls, hand in hand. Shippo laughed to himself. "It's about time you two got together!" he yelled over to them.

Shippo noticed Akina next to Kagome, with Aiko in her arms. Seeing his mate, Shippo jogged over to the foursome. Shippo threw his arms around Akina as soon as he was close enough to her. Shippo heard Aiko squeak out a yip of pain. Shippo backed up off of Akina and took Aiko into his arms. His daughter was back in her human state so Shippo was able to lift her up in the air.

"You've grown," Shippo heard Kagome say. Shippo handed back Aiko to Akina. He turned to Kagome, and she held her arms out for him. Shippo ran into Kagome's welcoming embrace. Shippo felt like a kid again in Kagome's mother-like arms. "Hi, Mom," he mumbled into her shirt.

"Hi, Shippo," Kagome replied. Shippo extracted from Kagome. She didn't look any older than the last time he saw her. Inuyasha cleared his throat.

"Hey, Shrimp, aren't you going to say hello to me?" Inuyasha asked. He walked over to Shippo and gave him a knuckle sandwich. Shippo laughed. He had missed this so much.

"Hey, Inuyasha," Shippo finally said. Inuyasha smiled at him and motioned over to Akina. "When did you get together with this little girl? She's quite the fox demon." Inuyasha crossed his arms and continued with, "Not to mention that you two had a kid together!" Shippo shrugged.

"And she is adorable!" Kagome squealed. Shippo looked at Kagome and found her hugging his daughter. _I knew that she would like Aiko, _Shippo thought. Kagome gasped with excitement whenever she found Aiko's tail. "Look, Shippo! Her tail is just like yours was whenever you were little! The only difference is that Aiko's is black, like her beautiful mother's." Aiko blushed from the compliment.

"We better be getting back to the netherworld," Akina said once Aiko was returned to her once again. Kagome and Inuyasha nodded.

"Are you ready to go into the afterlife?" Inuyasha asked Shippo. Shippo thought for a second, and then nodded. "I don't really have a choice though, do I?" Shippo asked back. Everyone laughed and Kagome said she supposed not.

Shippo grabbed Akina's free hand. Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's. Right before the group set off into the setting sun, Kagome said to Inuyasha, "I don't want you to fight with Koga once we get back."

Inuyasha groaned. "But he's such a stuck up jerk! He finally appreciates Ayame as his mate, but he still hits on you!" Inuyasha protested.

"I don't care! I swear, if you fight with Koga again this week, I'll sit you like you've never been sat before!" Kagome yelled. At the word 'sit', Inuyasha plunged into the ground. _Even dead, Inuyasha's still under Kagome's control, _Shippo considered.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha! I didn't mean it that time!" Kagome quickly apologized. Inuyasha jumped up out of the crater he had just made. "Keh! Whatever," Inuyasha said. Shippo noticed that Inuyasha still took Kagome's hand in his.

"Koga and Ayame are in the netherworld?" Shippo asked. Kagome and Inuyasha explained Koga and Ayame's deaths. Shippo was surprised that Ayame had the guts to kill Koga, even if they did end up together in the afterlife.

"Come on, you guys. We really need to get back to the netherworld," Akina repeated. Everyone nodded. The spirits of Shippo, Akina, Aiko, Kagome, and Inuyasha all walked simultaneously, left leg with left leg and right leg with right leg.

Soon enough, the group had disappeared into the sunset. Shippo was reunited with his entire family once again.


End file.
